Roger Fingas
Though obstacles with partners remain, Apple has made some progress in addressing the issue of carrier roaming charges for iPhone owners, and continues to work toward a solution that will be beneficial to consumers, senior VP Eddy Cue has revealed.
"It's sad, it's another problem," Cue told British publication the Evening Standard. "We're trying to fix it and we're making a little bit of progress but you've got to convince a lot of people."
Cue didn't elaborate on what Apple might be attempting, but one possibility is that the company is urging carriers to adopt international data roaming at no extra cost. T-Mobile USA has already adopted this policy on its own, but the practice isn't widespread.
The company famously pushed AT&T to allow unlimited U.S. data for early iPhone models. Although there are now many competitors to the iPhone, the device's popularity could still be used to pressure carriers into changing plans.
Another option is that Apple might become an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator). In an unusual move however, it quickly denied rumors that it had been in talks or was even considering the prospect.
On the subject of Apple Music — which only today began charging customers — Cue said that Apple is "pleased with the number of people who have tried," while simultaneously downplaying interest in subscriber numbers. The last official figures put the service at 11 million, but many of those people could choose to go elsewhere when faced with the prospect of monthly fees.
"Everybody gets fixated on the short term but we're in this for the long haul," Cue commented.
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33 Comments
"Roaming"? Now, there's a term I haven't heard since the early-90s when I had to manually enter a roaming code from a printed map each time I moved from one service area to another in order for my phone to still be able to make and receive calls.
Already canceled and went back to Google Play Music which is on $7.99 and does everything I need already. Apple Music is too much of a mess right now. I'm confident that it'll get better but so far it hasn't right now.
Already canceled and went back to Google Play Music which is on $7.99 and does everything I need already. Apple Music is too much of a mess right now. I'm confident that it'll get better but so far it hasn't right now.
It's not a mess and it doesn't need to get better.
I'm not sure how this service confuses anyone...you search iTunes for something you want, you click one button, and the whole album is added to your library. It's no different than buying music from iTunes has ever been, except now you don't have to pay for it. I long ago stopped buying music at a high rate, but in the short time I've had Apple Music I've added and listened to dozens of albums.
It's not complicated, or broken. Google Play Music on the other hand...well I suppose if you want a 3rd party solution that does the best job of any of them at NOT integrating with the rest of your Apple ecosystem...have at it.
Apple needs to jump in with something like Google's Fi project to target the carrier's stingy behaviour....
It's not a mess and it doesn't need to get better.
I'm not sure how this service confuses anyone...you search iTunes for something you want, you click one button, and the whole album is added to your library. It's no different than buying music from iTunes has ever been, except now you don't have to pay for it. I long ago stopped buying music at a high rate, but in the short time I've had Apple Music I've added and listened to dozens of albums.
It's not complicated, or broken. Google Play Music on the other hand...well I suppose if you want a 3rd party solution that does the best job of any of them at NOT integrating with the rest of your Apple ecosystem...have at it.
Exactly. I keep seeing people say, 'I tried it once and it's confusing.'
Yep. There is a small learning curve. After a couple of days I figured out although the tabs have different core functions, you can cross-utilize them to have access to several artists or albums at your fingertips at once.
Totally comfortable with it and love the Apple ecosystem integration.